by Helen Harper
He bowed his head. ‘The mages have it. They were…concerned.’
I bet they were. ‘We didn’t hurt anyone,’ I told him, watching him carefully to make sure he understood. ‘The, um, Dark Flowers would be able to escape long before we drew any blood. They were toying with you. You allowed yourself to be fooled.’
He squeaked. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.’ He started scratching vigorously at his skin again.
I sighed. ‘I will speak to the Summer Queen and see if we can get you a place at the Seelie Court. You’ll still be in Tir-na-nog and you’ll still have to put up with typical Fae mischief. But they won’t attempt the murder and mayhem that the Unseelie Fae do.’
The Ghillie Dhu’s eyes widened, forming perfectly round saucers. Then, without warning, he leapt in my direction, wrapping his arms round me in a tight hug. I patted his head awkwardly. He was still responsible for the deaths of two shifters and he certainly wasn’t my friend. I pulled back. ‘I still need to get the Summer Queen to agree. And,’ I told him in harsh tones, ‘if you seek to harm another shifter, in fact even if you do it accidentally, I shall not be able to help you again.’
He nodded. ‘I understand.’
I walked to the door and opened it. The Arch-Mage was outside in deep discussion with two others. He glanced over in my direction and raised his eyebrows.
‘I sincerely hope I will not have to send people to clean up a bloody mess in there,’ he told me cheerfully.
I flicked him a look, stepping aside so he could see the Ghillie Dhu standing there. I was satisfied to note surprise cross his face. It was about time he learned that shifters were capable of the restraint he’d taken such care to stress.
‘Not everything is black and white,’ I reminded him.
He clasped his fingers together. ‘Just so.’ He smiled. ‘By the way, there’s the oddest rumour abounding about you.’
‘Really,’ I said, uninterested.
‘Yes. Apparently a will-o’-the-wisp managed to best you. Took you right to the edge of a dangerous quarry. I’d have thought the Lord Alpha of the Brethren was beyond falling for such a ridiculous trick.’
I ignored his pointed amusement. ‘Where is the sword?’
‘You mean the thing the Ghillie Dhu used to take down an entire group of shifters? It’s rather lovely, you know.’ Sensing my irritation, he continued. ‘It’s safely locked away. Don’t worry.’
I was tempted to send the Ghillie Dhu back to Tir-na-nog with an iron knife. The bloody Fae deserved it. Unfortunately revenge would serve no purpose. If I weren’t Lord Alpha, I might be in a position to take it. Two months ago, I probably would have. There were considerable constraints to this position that I hadn’t fully appreciated before, however. All-out war with the Unseelie Fae would not aid anyone’s cause, especially when the Fae would consider what their children had done as nothing more than a teenage prank. It was galling to know my hands were tied. I mulled it over. All I required was a proportionate response to avoid it happening again. Something that wasn’t a hot-headed, knee-jerk reaction but a well-thought-out plan. I realised I had just the thing.
I curved my mouth into a smile. ‘Thank you for your help,’ I told the Arch-Mage. ‘I would ask you to permit the Ghillie Dhu to remain here until I have made alternative arrangements.’
He tilted up his chin, regarding me curiously. ‘You are an entirely different kettle of fish to your predecessor.’
‘Watch this space,’ I told him. Then I turned and left.
***
The Summer Queen apparently took umbrage at being summoned by a shifter, even if that shifter was the Lord Alpha. She clearly enjoyed acting as if she were beyond such petty mortal matters. Rather than allow myself to get annoyed, I focused on the fact that I had piqued her curiosity enough to send someone in her stead.
‘Lord Solus,’ the Fae told me, emphasising his title as if to tell me that his status was akin to mine.
I held out my hand. ‘Good to meet you.’
He eyed it, then shrugged. ‘I know. You’re a lucky guy.’
I gritted my teeth, doing what I could not to rise to the challenge. ‘We seek sanctuary for the Ghillie Dhu.’
The Fae’s shoulder lifted. ‘Why would we care what the Ghillie Dhu does?’
I leaned forward. ‘Because until now, he’s been at the Unseelie Court.’ I was pleased to see that Lord Solus’s body stiffened. ‘He was asked to remain there.’ I put on an air of confusion. ‘I can’t think why. Perhaps he’s useful to the Winter King.’
His eyes hardened. He was well aware that I was trying to manipulate him. It was next to impossible to fool a Fae, which is probably why they took such cold-hearted joy from doing it to others. The Fae liked to think they were superior to the rest of the Otherworld. He made a show of inspecting his fingernails. ‘We conduct humanitarian aid from time to time,’ he sniffed. ‘The Ghillie Dhu can probably be granted asylum.’
‘Excellent. I have one other boon to request.’
Lord Solus waited.
I licked my lips. ‘I know it is custom amongst the Fae to still use changelings from time to time. How would one recognise such a child?’
‘Why would you like to know?’
‘Let’s just say I have a vested interest in knowing where the Unseelie Fae’s tentacles are.’
‘Even with iron, you will find it very hard to kill a Fae.’
I shook my head. ‘Oh, I’m not looking to kill anyone. I just need a little payback.’
His eyes gleamed. ‘Sounds fun. The families of changeling children are usually steeped in poverty. They’re beset by misfortune. The child itself will be beautiful. The Unseelie Fae, being dark, prefer to make use of those who are blonde haired and blue eyed. Look for an unusual birthmark and an unearthly talent for music.’ He smirked. ‘Then throw them in a nearby river and see what happens.’
‘I wouldn’t want to mistake a Seelie changeling for an Unseelie one.’
Lord Solus growled. ‘We don’t use changelings. They’re more trouble than they’re worth.’
‘And it’s essentially kidnapping,’ I point out.
‘I suppose there is that.’ He said it casually as if he didn’t really care. Either way, I had the information I needed. Less than an hour later, the Othernet was filled with advertisements looking for an Unseelie changeling child. And less than five minutes after that the Winter King himself arrived on the Brethren’s doorstep.
Chapter Fifteen
It was Albert who came and told me. I’d never seen the man look so pale.
‘Er…’ he stammered, ‘there’s someone here to see you, my Lord.’
I carefully closed the book I’d been reading about the origins of werehamsters and gave him a grin. ‘Let me guess. The Winter King has sent a representative.’
He shook his head and swallowed hard. ‘It’s the Winter King himself.’
I raised an eyebrow. Well, well, well. He’d taken the bait. It was rather pleasing to note that it had worked and he wasn’t merely throwing a flunky in my face like the Summer Queen had. Perhaps this plan would succeed after all.
‘Tell him I’m in a meeting,’ I instructed, ‘and that I’ll be with him when I can.’ Albert shuffled his feet and didn’t move. ‘You can speak freely,’ I told him.
‘It’s the Winter King, my Lord Alpha. I’m not sure he’s the kind of person who likes to be kept waiting.’
I shrugged. ‘Offer him a beverage to while away the time. In fact,’ I added, ‘I’d quite like a coffee myself.’
He bowed his head and backed away. I leaned back in my chair and inspected my fingernails. Then I re-arranged some of the books on my desk into alphabetical order. When the coffee arrived, I sipped at it slowly. Thirty-two minutes later, I got to my feet and strolled out. I didn’t want to push my luck too far.
The group standing in the hall was considerably large. It didn’t take a genius to work out which one of them was the Winter King. He wore a long
, white fur coat, trimmed in purple, and his cold, blue eyes reflected frozen depths. Towering over the other Fae, he was completely motionless. I wondered whether he’d moved at all since he’d been escorted here.
‘Your Majesty,’ I said with the cheesiest smile I could muster. ‘What an absolute pleasure. I do apologise for my tardiness. I’m sure you know what it’s like for men in our position. There’s never a quiet moment.’
He still didn’t move. If it weren’t for his eyes flicking in my direction, I’d almost have believed he was a statue. One likely to give you nightmares, though.
‘Cat got your tongue?’ I purred.
A slight, dark-haired Fae lurking behind the Winter King lunged forward, hands curled into claws. He leapt at me, falling back barely a whisker from my face when the King held up his pale hand. ‘You mortal beasts with your petty lives,’ he sneered. ‘Playing your little games. I grow immensely tired of dealing with you all.’
‘I can’t imagine what you mean,’ I murmured.
‘You may think that by keeping me waiting for so long you are proving your superiority. All you have done is highlight your stupidity. Time means little to us Fae. We don’t live our lives via a ticking clock like you.’
The fact that he was bothering to point this out meant that I’d annoyed him. I tried not to let smug self-satisfaction fill my face. ‘I did apologise. If, however, you would like to re-schedule for a later date, I’m perfectly happy to oblige.’
His lip curled. ‘That won’t be necessary.’
I retained a mask of indifference. ‘In that case, why don’t we venture out to the gardens to talk? They’re quite lovely this time of year.’
Without waiting for either his agreement or demurral, I turned round and walked out. It took the Winter King a moment or two but he followed, quickly catching up. Thankfully his entourage remained behind although we were hardly alone. Shifters of all sizes appeared, each one clearly wanting to get a glimpse of the Fae King. I spotted a few of the younger women nudging each other as we swept past. It was difficult not to roll my eyes. He’d crush them and fling them aside without even breaking a sweat. He could crush all of us.
I paused at the doorway. As per my instructions, two frames containing photos of Annan and Shah were sitting on a side table. Unscented candles glowed next to them, their flames flickering in the gentle breeze blowing in from outside. I was dicing with danger but it was a far more calculated move than the come-on he’d been getting from those shifters.
I glanced in his direction. ‘I don’t suppose death is much of an issue for you.’
‘We are not mortal like you but we are not immortal either.’ He gave the table a bored look, and appeared entirely unconcerned at his contradictory statement. ‘Are we going outside?’
‘Of course.’ I stepped out ahead of him, sucking the air deep into my lungs. The Winter King, by contrast, was unimpressed.
‘The air here reeks. You humans and your pollution.’
‘We’re not human.’
He reached over and plucked a leaf off a nearby bush and examined it as if it were some bacteria-laden slime. ‘You may as well be. You hide here inside your stone walls and pretend to be the same as all the others native to this demesne.’ He dropped the tiny leaf and it spiralled down to the ground. ‘Enough dancing, Corrigan. You know why I’m here.’
‘It’s Lord Corrigan to you,’ I growled. I pointed to the gazebo up ahead and the walled garden beyond it. ‘We just said goodbye to two of our comrades. Fallen in the line of duty. There’s no dancing going on here, only mourning.’
The Winter King didn’t so much as glance over. Instead, he adjusted his coat, allowing the fur to billow out behind him. Rather than appear impressive, however, he looked more like the star of an Eighties New Romantics’ music video.
‘Why,’ he asked, with ice in his tone, ‘are you looking for changelings?’
I pasted on a look of pure innocence. ‘Oh! You saw our little advertisement?’
‘There was more than one. What game do you think you’re playing?’
I cocked my head. ‘But surely you understand, Your Majesty. Our shifters were killed as a result of your Fae making mischief.’ I emphasised the last word to make it very clear I thought that the last thing their actions had been was mere ‘mischief’. ‘Our Way demands retribution.’ I laughed lightly. ‘We are hardly likely to storm your citadel in Tir-na-nog, however. So we’ll kill two of your changelings to balance things out and everyone will be happy. I’ll even let the fact that another two of mine almost died slide. As a gesture of goodwill. You know, from leader to leader.’
The rage in the Winter King’s face was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Fire burns, but so does ice. It was through sheer will that I held my ground. ‘You will cease your actions immediately or there will be consequences.’
‘No, I won’t.’ My expression hardened, losing its faked smile for the first time since the King’s arrival. ‘Two of mine are dead. I demand recompense.’
‘It was not my Fae who killed them.’
‘Perhaps not,’ I shot back, ‘but it was your Fae who are responsible nonetheless. Meddle in shifter affairs and we will meddle back.’
‘Kill the changelings and we will kill their human counterparts in Tir-na-nog.’
This was where things were going to get risky. I shrugged, going for nonchalance and hoping it would work. ‘Why should I care what happens to a few humans? They breed like rabbits anyway. There’ll be more to take their place soon.’
‘You won’t find them. There are sixty million people in this country. You’ll never find a handful of changelings amongst them.’
My smile returned. ‘Then you have nothing to worry about. Besides, I don’t need a handful. I only need two.’
The Winter King spun round, stalking away from me. Gravel spun up around his feet, indicating his ire. I counted to three, then exulted inwardly when he twisted back. ‘They are children.’
I bent down and made a show of tying my shoelace. When I stood back up, I shrugged. ‘So?’
His face tightened. ‘Very well. What will it take to stop you? Do I have to kill you?’
‘I don’t think that will solve the problem somehow. There are plenty more where I came from.’ My expression was earnest. ‘Believe me, I’m a hell of a lot more moderate than other Brethren leaders would be.’ I pretended to mull it over. ‘The changelings are not the ones responsible for the murders. And they are, as you point out, children. Except I have heard that children are the ones I should be looking for.’
‘I will not hand over Fae children to you,’ he spat.
‘I would not treat them kindly,’ I agreed. I looked him in the eye. ‘What punishment would you deem appropriate? If, say, a Fae died as a result of their machinations?’
‘That wouldn’t happen.’
‘Wouldn’t it? Your children gave the Ghillie Dhu silver. What would happen if I encouraged the use of iron?’
‘You pathetic man-beast. You would not dare.’
I dropped my voice. ‘Watch me.’
A muscle pulsed in his cheek. ‘Very well,’ he snapped. ‘Two years. I will imprison the culprits for two years.’
‘But your Majesty,’ I said lightly, ‘you’ve already made it very clear that time means little to your kind. Two years is hardly appropriate. And if we’re talking about two human years, well, what would that be for them? Two blinks of an eye?’ I felt dangerously calm. ‘Fifty Fae years.’
For the briefest moment, his mouth dropped open in shock. ‘You are crazy.’
‘The Fae live a long time.’
‘They are children. They did wrong, I grant you, but…’
‘They’re Unseelie children,’ I interrupted. ‘You’re probably proud of them.’
He inhaled deeply. ‘They should have known better than to attempt to play with Otherworlders.’
‘They should have known better than to play like that with anyone. Very well,’ I said, makin
g a show of trying to reach a compromise, ‘thirty years and a promise to keep your people in check from now on. Tricks are one thing. Encouraging murder is something else. And this will apply not just to my shifters but to every living creature.’
‘Even humans?’ he asked, calling my bluff.
‘Why not?’
The Winter King tapped his cheek. ‘Five years.’
I shook my head. ‘Twenty-five.’
‘Ten then.’
‘Twenty-five.’
His fists bunched up and the stress in his broad shoulders was palpable. ‘Fifteen.’
‘Done,’ I snapped, so quickly he was taken aback.
‘You drive a hard bargain, Lord Corrigan.’
‘Fae live a long time. Fifteen years will not be much.’
‘You will remove the changeling bounties?’
I gestured behind to Albert who nodded and quickly disappeared. ‘It is done. You should consider removing the changelings altogether, however.’
He looked at me in what seemed to be a rare moment of honesty. ‘Some traditions are hard to break. You are not the only leader who is looking for change.’
I tried not to react to the news that my bid to alter the Brethren’s way of doing things was reaching even Fae ears.
‘Besides,’ he said, ‘no-one really suffers from the practice. The changelings learn humility and their place in the world. The humans in Tir-na-nog progress quickly and remember nothing upon their return to their own families.’
‘That doesn’t make it right,’ I replied quietly.
‘No.’ He spat in his palm and held it out. I did the same, taking his in mine. His grip was so powerful I thought for a moment he would break my fingers. But he let go at the final moment. ‘I do not want to meet you again, Lord Corrigan.’
‘Keep your Fae in line and we won’t have to.’
He dipped his head down and left.
The second I was sure both the Winter King and his entourage were away, I let out a huge sigh of relief. That could have gone either way.
Albert edged up to me. ‘Did you get ten years then?’